It has been shown that tooth decay and dental disease can be attributed to bacteria forming plaque about the teeth. Growth and proliferation of bacteria is enhanced by the presence of entrapped food particles between the teeth. The removal of plaque and entrapped food particles reduces caries, reduces the tendency towards gingivitis, and reduces mouth odor as well as generally improving oral hygiene.
The prior art recognizes mechanical oral hygiene devices serving to clean the mouth of debris and remove plaque from teeth, such as toothbrushes, flosses, and toothpicks. It also recognizes compositions mostly used in conjunction with such devices but which impart a chemical action in cleaning teeth, such as dentifrices and rinses. In addition to these, various dental coatings and sealants have been applied to teeth as barriers against bacterial action and plaque formation. Another important approach in oral care includes the use of various fluoride-containing preparations which are able to deposit fluoride ions directly onto the surface of tooth enamel. While great advances were made in oral health care by the use of these various approaches, none seem to be completely effective.
A more recent approach to improved oral hygiene involves the recognition that bacteria present in the oral cavity metabolize dietary sugars, such as glucose and sucrose, to organic acids, such as acetic, propionic and lactic acids. The production of these acids results in a rapid drop in plaque pH. If the pH drops to a level of about 5.5 or below and remains there for more than a short period of time, the tooth enamel will begin to demineralize. This process, if repeated over a substantial period of time, will eventually lead to the development of caries. To correct for the pH drop, the saliva contains a pH-rise factor which moderates the extent and duration of the pH drop when glucose and sucrose are metabolized by oral bacteria. This factor was identified as an arginine-containing tetrapeptide. See, for example, Kleinberg, I., Kanapka, J. A., and Craw, D. "Effect of Saliva and Salivary Factors on the Metabolism of the Mixed Oral Flora" Microbial Aspects of Dental Caries, Vol. II, pp. 433-464 (1976). This pH-rise factor is believed to enter the bacterial cell and either neutralize the organic acids as they form or alter bacterial metabolism so that the acids are not produced.